Seattle Landmark Leveled by Truck

SEATTLE (AP) â€” An ornate wrought-iron canopy that was one of Seattle's most beloved historic landmarks was accidentally knocked down by a truck and smashed to pieces Monday. <br><br>The rear of the

Monday, January 15th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

SEATTLE (AP) â€” An ornate wrought-iron canopy that was one of Seattle's most beloved historic landmarks was accidentally knocked down by a truck and smashed to pieces Monday.

The rear of the truck clipped a corner of the 91-year-old Pergola before daybreak, police spokesman Sean O'Donnell said. No injuries were reported.

``I'm a tour guide down here,'' said Keith Perry, manager of Casual Cabs. ``Now what am I going to show people?''

O'Donnell said it appeared much of the iron-and-glass structure â€” 60 feet long and 16 feet high â€” could be salvaged.

The Victorian-style structure was built in 1909 as a cable car stop and a grand entrance to a lavish underground restroom. It has become one of Seattle's most famous meeting spots.

The truck driver, whose name was not immediately released, was cited for driving on the sidewalk, police said. O'Donnell said the city will probably try to make the driver and his company pay for the damage.

The Pergola sits in a park in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood, the area of downtown where the city began. The area includes the site of the city's first sawmill, and the ``skid road'' on which logs were brought down the hillside to the mill created the term Skid Row for rough neighborhoods.

The Pioneer Square district has become home to fashionable shops and restaurants, condominiums and offices.

The cable car tracks are long gone and the marble and brass restroom has been abandoned for decades, but the Pergola, designed by architect Julian Everett, has sheltered countless residents and tourists from the rain.

The canopy was restored in 1972, and it, the square's Tlingit totem pole and the adjacent Pioneer Building were designated as national landmarks in 1977.